SLICE OF BREAD GOES TO THE BEACH

Age Range: 2 - 6

Pub Date: Dec. 18th, 2011Publisher: Jelly Biscuits

A piece of sandwich bread combs the shore for treasures.

Slice of Bread, aka SOB (an abbreviation inscribed on his mailbox), loves to hunt for treasure on the beach, but he rarely finds anything of value. One Saturday he hops in his vehicle—a toaster—and dashes to the seashore to dig for valuables. Initially he doesn’t find much so he heads for the dunes, where he unearths gold bars, a massive diamond, pearls, a Van Gogh painting and a host of other worthless “junk.” Throughout the day he’s plagued by dangers: A huge wave engulfs him (thus making him soggy); a sunbathing stint turns him into toast; and a hungry seagull chases him around the beach. He survives it all, however, and meets Multigrain, who becomes his new treasure-seeking buddy. The premise of this story is outrageously puerile, which somehow gives it a measure of charm. Kids can help SOB scrape his burnt crumbs with a knife, rub butter on his sunburn and clean sand off his face. There are also a few hidden interactive elements that are relatively easy to find. A filmstrip index pops up when the SOB icon is tapped, making navigation simple. The Aussie narrator can be switched on or off, and pages can be set to turn automatically or manually.

Moderately entertaining, though it might get stale after a few reads. (iPad storybook app. 2-6)